Texans safety Ed Reed speaks to his teammates before playing the Ravens.

Texans safety Ed Reed speaks to his teammates before playing the Ravens.

Photo: Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle

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Texans safety Ed Reed greets the crowd in Baltimore.

Texans safety Ed Reed greets the crowd in Baltimore.

Photo: Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle

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Texans safety Ed Reed introduced before playing the Ravens.

Texans safety Ed Reed introduced before playing the Ravens.

Photo: Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle

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Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco warms up before facing the Texans.

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco warms up before facing the Texans.

Photo: Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle

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Texans quarterback Matt Schaub warms up before facing the Ravens.

Texans quarterback Matt Schaub warms up before facing the Ravens.

Photo: Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle

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Texans tight end Garrett Graham greets fans in Baltimore.

Texans tight end Garrett Graham greets fans in Baltimore.

Photo: Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle

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Texans fan A.J. Hicks shows off team colors in Baltimore.

Texans fan A.J. Hicks shows off team colors in Baltimore.

Photo: Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle

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Texans fans show their support in Baltimore.

Texans fans show their support in Baltimore.

Photo: Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle

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Texans find out firsthand how pick sixes change games in a hurry

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Interceptions that go all the way the wrong way — the “pick six” in modern football parlance — are continuing at a near-record pace this season after occurring more frequently than ever in 2012. Texans fans likely won’t find this trend surprising.

After all, their man under center, Matt Schaub, already has been victimized each of the last two weeks. On a happier note, linebacker Brian Cushing’s first career interception return forged a fourth-quarter tie in what became an opening-night victory at San Diego.

But Cushing’s transformational play almost feels like ancient history with Schaub’s gaffes causing mounting concern with Seattle’s NFL-best defense visiting Reliant Stadium on Sunday. The Seahawks have five interceptions and have covered five opposing fumbles in their 3-0 start. So coach Gary Kubiak and offensive coordinator Rick Dennison responded with tough love when they were asked about Schaub, who has thrown two additional interceptions that didn’t wind up as touchdowns.

“Matt’s got to be sound with the ball,” Dennison said. “That’s it. He’s made bad decisions. We’ll keep working on it.”

“Any time you give up points other than on defense,” Kubiak said, “it makes it hard on the team. We’ve got to get much better at protecting the football. We’re losing the turnover battle.”

A spot of good news, though: Of the 13 players who have turned picks into scoreboard sixes over the first three weeks of the season, none are Seahawks.

There’s arguably nothing more demoralizing for an offense than an interception winding up becoming a touchdown — and nothing more exhilarating for a defense. Cushing calls it “a huge momentum changer.” His against the stunned Chargers certainly was. And, although Texans ultimately survived Alterraun Verner’s unmolested 23-yard dash into the end zone for Tennessee two weeks ago, which put them in a scary eight-point hole late in the fourth quarter, Daryl Smith’s 37-yard score in Baltimore was the beginning of the end, providing a lead the Ravens never relinquished in a 30-9 victory.

Not-so-elite company

Schaub and the St. Louis Rams’ Sam Bradford share the dubious distinction of being the only NFL quarterbacks twice victimized for touchdowns off interceptions in 2013. The 13 pick sixes league-wide factor out to about 70 over an entire season. This after last year saw the record spike dramatically to 71. (Prior to the 1990s, the total rarely exceeded 40, although there were 60 in 1967, a huge aberration for the day.)

What has changed?

A lot more passing, of course. More spread-out offenses, leaving fewer lines of defense for the offense. Also, more gambling by defenders, who can’t maul receivers like they could in the old days, so they take more chances. Nothing plays better than a pick six on “Sports Center.”

Schaub has been on the wrong end of this most ignominious kind of turnover 10 times, seven of them occurring in defeats, most of which were lopsided. One that wasn’t, however, was Josh Wilson’s walkoff pick six for the Ravens in overtime in 2010 that brought a sudden end to a Monday night thriller at Reliant.

Schaub has mostly been trending in the wrong direction since he joined the Texans in 2007. He suffered just one interception-touchdown in each of his first two seasons, then threw three in 2009 and two in 2010. Although it didn’t happen to him in 2011, when he missed nearly half the season with a foot injury, he has three to his (dis)credit in the calendar year of 2013, counting Leon Hall’s 21-yarder in the wild-card playoff game against Cincinnati in January.

In search of a fix

Brett Favre is the all-time leader with 32 pick sixes — four coming in the postseason, also a record. He threw one for about every 306 passes he attempted and one for every 10 times he got intercepted. Hall-of-Famer and Super Bowl winner Joe Namath’s corresponding numbers are 145 and 8.8, while fellow Hall-of-Famer Dan Marino’s are 279 and 8.4.

Schaub’s are 295 and 7.4. So, yes, he finds himself in good company. But he expects better of himself, as do his coaches.

“I’m making mistakes with the ball,” Schaub said, offering no further elaboration. “We’ve got to focus on how we can fix those things and go out and beat the Seahawks this week.”